Men’s Tennis Hosts Michigan Saturday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After kicking off the 2016 season with a perfect 3-0 record, the Kentucky Wildcats men’s tennis team will return to the friendly confines of the Boone Indoor Tennis Center on Saturday, Jan. 23, to host the Michigan Wolverines, with first serve slated for 5 p.m.

Last time out, the Wildcats pulled off a major upset, as the unranked team took down the No. 13 Duke Blue Devils. Behind 2-1, the Wildcats responded in a big way, with the next two matches resulting in upsets in Kentucky’s favor. Freshman Ryotaro Matsumura turned heads on the second court, taking down No. 102 TJ Pura in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. Sophomore William Bushamuka then put together an incredible performance to earn the biggest win of his singles career, toppling No. 12 Nicolas Alvarez. 

Bushamuka’s win would secure him SEC Player of the Week honors.

The ITA poll acknowledged the Wildcats string of victories naming them the Oracle ITA Ranking “Big Mover of the Week,” as the Wildcats jumped to No. 55 in the poll after not being ranked to begin the season. 

Kentucky boasts a pair of ranked singles players and one ranked doubles team in the preseason polls. Bushamuka highlights the Wildcats talent, ranked in both singles and doubles play. Bushamuka ranks No. 79 in the nation headed into the season in singles play, while he and senior Beck Pennington make up the 58th-ranked doubles pair in Division I. Junior Nils Ellefsen also is ranked in singles play, coming in at No. 117 in the country. 

For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter or Kentucky Men’s Tennis Team on Facebook.